I Hate Everything About You
by twilightnite
Summary: /All human/I gawked at the boy walking through the door. The girls swooned at the sight of him. I froze. It couldn’t be him. He turned, his eyes met mine. It was. And he was headed right for me. Him. I hate Edward Cullen.
1. Ignorance Is Bliss

_Summary_:  
_/All human/I gawked at the boy walking through the door. The girls swooned at the sight of him. I froze. It couldn't be him. He turned, his eyes met mine. It was. And he was headed right for me. Him. I hate Edward Cullen. /I hate everything about you./_

**A/N: **My new AU story. (This one I'll actually stick with too.) "Pictures of Bella Swan" is on a hiatus for now, just so you know. I've noticed that there are a lot of 'all-human' stories where Edward's some big player in the school, and Bella's just like some geek, and they somehow end up together at the end. Well, I guess you could say that this is a _bit_ like them. Almost.

'_I Hate Everything About You'_, by **Three Days Grace**

_Every time we lie awake  
After every hit we take  
Every feeling that I get  
But I haven__'__t missed you yet_

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

Ch. 1: _Ignorance is Bliss_

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

Alice snorted next to me, kicking the leg of my chair. I sighed, resting my chin in my hand. Henderson leafed through the pages of her self-help book again, staring down the bridge of her nose at the words.

I grimaced when I felt some type of liquid graze my elbow. I looked down to see Alice drooling in her sleep, and mumbling about whatever she was dreaming about.

"Uh, ew?" I muttered, pulling my elbow out of her drool and wiping it on the back of her shirt. I snickered as I did this, waiting for her reaction. She snorted again, finally waking up.

"What the hell was that for?" She hissed at me as she sat up, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. I shrugged.

"Well for one thing-"

"Ladies," Henderson cut me off, fixing us with a stony glare from behind her tortoise shell specs.

"Sorry," Alice said, waving. Henderson narrowed her eyes.

"I can give you another detention if you'd like me to." She threatened, waving a white sheet a paper in the air.

"Dun dun dun…" Someone muttered from where he sat before me. Our shoulders shook with silent laughter at this, watching Henderson's face redden. She waited until we had quieted down before she stood.

"Isabella," She sighed when she finally came to stand by my seat. I looked up, giving her puppy eyes. "Do you know why I let you sit next to your friend?"

"Because you wove me?" I asked, sticking out my lower lip.

"_No_," She snapped, startling me. "I let you sit next to Mary Alice because I thought you could prove to the rest of the student body that you were a mature and responsible teenager!" She slammed a fist on my desk. "But I guess I was obviously wrong!" Alice pressed a hand to her chest in fake shock.

"Why Nancy! I would have thought you had the decency not to let your anger get the best of you! What would Paulie Jan say?" She said, referring to the self-help book lying face down on the front desk. "Or are you just all prissy because you're thirty and still single?" Henderson clenched her hands into fist and stormed to the front of the room.

"Now don't go getting your panties in a bunch!" Alice called after her, smiling. I covered my mouth with my hand, trying not to laugh.

Henderson whirled on her, her face flushed, yet somehow tinted red.

"That's it!" She yelled, slamming her fist on her desk, making her book fall to the floor. "_YOU!_" She pointed a shaking finger at Alice, who blinked.

"_Me?_" She asked in disbelief, pointing at herself.

"Yes you!" Henderson screamed at her, her nostrils flaring. "That's a Saturday detention for you!"

"But-" Alice started to speak, only for our teacher to cut her off.

"SATURDAY!" Alice 'hmph'd', and then leaned back in her chair, her arms folded over her stomach. She turned to glare at me through the black hair that was covering her eyes.

"What?" I hissed at her, watching our study hall teacher sit back down and begin to read her book again. Alice's eyes narrowed.

"That's the last time I defend you!" She hissed back at me, her eyes narrowing further.

"I didn't need to be defended!" I shoot back at her. Henderson shifted in her chair slightly. Her eyes darted up at us, and I quickly turned my attention back to my biology homework due next period.

"Right." She muttered, doodling absently in her notebook.

"Still, you shouldn't have done it." I whispered to her. I saw her brow furrow. She opened her mouth to respond, but immediately stopped when our study hall teacher looked up at us. Alice sniffed, shooting a glance at me. I shrugged and turned away, staring at my worksheet. Alice nudged me in the arm with a piece of her paper. I looked down at it and sighed before unfolding it.

_What did you expect me to do? You're my best friend._

I sighed and picked up my neglected pencil.

_**You didn't need to get yourself a detention for me. What about your date with Jasper tomorrow?**_

I wrote back before sliding it to her. I heard her gasp quietly and saw her stared at my words wide eyed before she hastily scribbled on our notes.

_Crap! I completely forgot! Will you go for me?_

_**To what? Your detention or your date? You know tall, blond, and strange isn't exactly my type…**_

_Shut up! Jasper is not strange! He's smart! Unlike someone here… (points at you)_

_**Thanks.**_

_Besides, what your type anyway?_

I growled feebly in annoyance. I really didn't want to talk about relationships with Alice. _Well it's your fault, you brought this upon yourself._

_**Short, fat, and bald.**_

I smirked to myself as she read it, frowning.

_You're kidding right?_

_**Fine, I like tall, dark, and handsome. Actually, a few piercings, a tattoo or two, maybe an emo-ish hair flip, dark eyeliner, some black lipstick…**_

_Are we talking about the goth/emo clique or some cross-dresser/transvestite people?_

I coughed, trying to hide my hysterical laughter as I read this. Henderson looked up at the two us of giggling like a pair of rabid hyenas.

"Ms. Swa-" Thankfully, she was cut off by the bell, and was replied to by the stampeding of feet as we rushed out of the classroom. Alice trailed on my heels, smiling at me mischievously. I shook my head and continued on my way to my locker, trying to ignore her.

"So," She mused. "Tall, dark 'n handsome huh?" I shook my head, pulling out my binder. _I never should have said anything. _She laughed. "Well, don't worry about anything. I hear that there's a new kid in town." She examined her nails instead of looking at me. I froze, looking down at my bag. New meat huh? Alice's hand flew to her chest as she gasped at me in fake shock.

"Uh-oh. Isabella's got a determined look on her face. Younglings steer clear! Bella's set her sights on a newbie!" She tossed her head back and giggled. "So are you really going after this one?" She asked after her giggles were over.

"Depends. I need details." She nodded.

"'Mkay. Let's see… He has a bit of a tan from the sun……" She drummed her fingers on her chin, trying to add suspense.

"Mary Alice." I snapped my fingers in her face. She rolled her eyes.

"Fine, fine. He's got these gorgeous green eyes. I mean it. They're like, completely amazing apparently. And Rose, my god, you should have seen her; she just stared at him, practically drooling! Emmett looked so mad…" She trailed off, lost in her own thought. I waited for her to continue. "His hair is pretty darn nice too… It's like, a reddish brown color. It's in this cute flyaway style too."

I nodded, imaging some kind of model from a magazine, or a celebrity from the way Alice was describing him.

"Browsing for boys are we?" A voice sounded from behind me, making me jump. Alice snickered, smiling at the person.

"Oh," I smiled once I realized who it was. "Hey Rose, what's up?" I titled my head to the side, slamming my locker door shut. Perfect bikini model like Rosalie shrugged, twirling a bit of her long blonde hair around her finger.

"Nothing much really, just you know, talking to the peasant," She shot a glance at Alice. "And the midget." Alice huffed indignantly, folding her arms over her chest.

"Oh really?" She glared up about two feet, trying to intimidate Rosalie. After a few silent moments of glaring at one another, the three of us burst out laughing. Rose waved her hand dismissively. Alice hugged her books to herself and leaned against my locker before eying me.

"Your place at five right?" I nodded again, picking up my bag.

"Yep. Old 'Friends' reruns, Fire Marshal Bill, and 'A Night at the Roxbury'. All guaranteed to make you laugh 'til you cry." I snapped my fingers, remembering something. "Oh, and some take-out to top that off." Rose frowned down at me.

"What about O.D.ing on junk food?"

"Yeah, and that thing of frosting I was going to bring-?" Alice piped up. I laughed.

"Sure, bring whatever you want. It's Friday night after all." I glanced down at my wrist and invisible watch. "Well, I'm going to go listen to Banner drone on about whatever, so I'll see you guys later tonight."

"Alrighty!" Alice cried, singing 'T.G.I.F.' while she wandered down the hall. Rosalie smiled at me and then began to follow our pixie like friend to their math class.

"Mush! Mush!" Rosalie yelled after her, Alice giggled. "See ya Bell, I'm off to go fail a test!" She called over her shoulder, still smiling.

"Ha!" I yelled to her, well on my way to my science class.

The door pushed against me as I tried to open it. I groaned as I finally made it through, seeing Lauren Mallory instantly glaring at me from where she sat. I rolled my eyes, using all of my will power to not stick my tongue out at her childishly.

My bag landed with a thump on the floor. I pulled my notebook out, ready to take down notes like the weird little studious girl I was. Class was pretty boring for the most part, the only interesting minute out of the entire class period?

When Mr. Banner nearly fell over his own feet.

Of course, it was a bit ruined when Lauren muttered 'He's pulling a Bella' from a table or two over.

I sniffed, leaning back a bit on stool, trying not to fall over. I rolled my shoulders, yawning. My glance at the clock above told me that we only had about half an hour left of class. I smiled, feeling my spirits soar suddenly. "T.G.I.F." I muttered almost silently to myself, already mentally prepped for our amazing little party tonight.

My self esteem instantly deflated in my dull whooshing outtake of breath when the door opened and someone walked in. My smacked my lips, unable to see his face, but recognized the back of his head from Alice's description.

_Reddish brown hair, bit of a tan from the sun……Hehe._

I felt a spontaneous smile grow across my face when I realized that the only free seat in the room was next to me. Banner stopped his lesson to take a slip from him. He read it quickly and then signed it, handing it back to him.

"Hello Mr. Cullen, and welcome to my sixth period biology class." The new kid began to swivel toward us slowly. My brow furrowed slightly. _Cullen? Not _the_ Cullen? _

I gawked at the boy. The girls swooned slightly at the sight of him. I blanched. It couldn't be _him_. Not _here_. No, no, no, no, no.

He looked momentarily relieved when he saw me, changing course to the only open seta in the class. _Not him. Please God, no. Not him._

Edward. Cullen.

His books landed with a gentle thump on the table beside me, I turned my head away, refusing to look at him. There was a sharp intake of breath somewhere behind us, and I could feel the envious glares on the back of my head. _I don't want him. You can have _him_. _I muttered silently in my head.

Banner turned back to the board and began writing again, completely oblivious when Edward spun to talk to me. I cut him off.

"You just _had_ to come here didn't you?" His brows furrowed, and there was a hint of sadness in his eyes.

"Bella, look, I didn't mean-"

"Just don't." I said abruptly, bending over my notes. He sighed and turned away. There were a few minutes of extremely awkward silence. Until he reached out and touched my shoulder that is. I snapped, my eyes narrowing as I met his gaze.

"I hate you."

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

**A/N:** Why does she hate Edward you ask? Well, you'll just have to wait and see won't you?  
'Til next update (which will be really soon!),  
.:Kate


	2. Fried Sesame Chicken

_Summary:_

_/All human/I gawked at the boy walking through the door. The girls swooned slightly at the sight of him. I blanched. It couldn't be him. It CAN'T be him. He turned, his eyes meeting mine. It was. And he was headed right for me. Him. Edward. Cullen. _

**A/N: Wow. Just wow. I only have one thing to say really…Thank you so much for the reviews guys! Seriously! (There's also a poll I put up as a joke. Go ahead and vote if you want to.)  
**See? I told you I'd update soon.  
I guess you could say that the first chapter started out as a bit of a filler. If you haven't noticed, every chapter starts with some lyrics from a song by Three Days Grace. They are also relevant to the story in some ways.  
Confused on just what Bella's social status at school is? Bella, Alice, and Rosalie are what you could call the 'Queen Bees' in a way. (Ever read The Vampire Diaries? You can imagine them as Elena, Bonnie, and Meredith then. But nicer.)  
Why does Bella hate Edward? You find out soon enough, don't worry.

'_It's All Over'_, by **Three Days Grace**

_And now you're dead inside  
Still you wonder why  
It's all over  
And now you're dead inside  
Still you wonder why  
It's all over_

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

Ch. 2_ Fried Sesame Chicken_

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

"This one looks like someone sat on some guy's head." Alice murmured as held up a piece of sesame chicken that she had stabbed with her chopsticks. Rosalie snickered.

"Well at least it doesn't look like the last one."

"What did the last one look like?" I asked, trying to pick up another noodle with my own set of chopsticks. Rosalie shrugged.

"Viewer discretion is advised." Was all she said. I grimaced. _Oh god._

"I'm not hungry anymore." I whimpered, setting down my barely picked at food.

"What if we fried it?" Alice piped up, aiming her question at Rosalie. Rose shrugged.

"Dunno. Maybe it would blow up and China would sue you."

"MSGs at their worst." I said solemnly, giggling at the grins that spread across the faces of those around me. Rosalie bit her lip, trying to hold back her laughter. My mothers' shoulders shook as she nearly dropped her glass. Alice snorted.

"Forget nukes, the Chinese shall come at you with…" She trailed off, waiting for us to quiet down. "FRIED TAKE-OUT WITH KILLER MSGS! We kill you dead!" She finished, adding a stereotyped 'Asian' accent. Rosalie fell out of her chair laughing. Mom shook her head, laughing to herself.

After our little fried sesame chicken intermission, we stopped speaking for a while, only eating our MSG filled take-out.

I stared down at my plate, watching the color of my food blur together into one. Beside me, my mother set down her own set of wooden Chinese cutlery to give me a concern look.

"What's wrong Bella?" She asked me. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Alice and Rosalie stop what they were doing as well.

"Nothing." I muttered back, wiping at my eye with the base of my hand. "I just, uh, got something in my eye. I'll be right back." I shot up and out my seat and toward the bathroom before any of them had time to protest.

I locked the door behind me. After a few minutes of stalling, I turned my gaze to the mirror, preparing myself to see the same expression I had worn shortly after this time last year.

A pale and plain girl looked back at me with a saddened and remorseful look. I sighed, raising one hand to wipe away the foundation that had concealed the bags under my eyes. She squinted at me through the tears forming around the edges of her eyelids as she gently bit her lower lip.

"I'm sorry Bella," I whispered to her, trying to give her an encouraging smile in support. She frowned at me. After pulling up the drain I turned the nearest handle, watching warm water spray out of the faucet. I shook my head quickly, trying to ignore the sudden flood of memories in my mind. I plunged face first into the water in shock.

_Sirens, bright lights, someone screaming. Was that me? And next to me, there he lay, motionless. I called out to him, reaching toward him. Why wouldn't he answer? Why wouldn't he get up?_

Sputtering, I pulled away from the sink blinking water out of my eyes. My vision was blurry as I looked at the mirror again, squinting. My mouth fell open in shock at what I saw.

The dark figure smirked at me, a flash of dark metal-

"_No!_" I gasped as I whirled around, staring blindly at the outdated shower curtain behind me.

There was no one there.

My lungs felt like they were going to burst as I slid down to the floor. I pulled my knees to my chest, taking a few deep breaths. There was another flash.

"_No! No, no, no!" A rasped voice cried, reaching for the still man. Why wouldn't he answer me? "Help!" The voice cried again. "Someone help!" I lunged toward him, hoping against all odds that he would be perfect fine when I made it to him._

_There was someone in the corner-_

The knock on the door made me scream. I fell to my side, feeling my heart accelerate. My pulsing thudded dully in my ears.

"Bella! _Open the door!_" Alice screamed at me, pounding again. "Open the god forsaken door!" My palms were cold and clammy by now, and I brought them to my face, covering my eyes.

_I ran, and just kept running. My legs were heavy, like lead. I wanted to stop, but I couldn't, or he would get me. Just like he got him. I turned a corner sharply, sprinting for the first room I found. I dove into it, slamming the door and locking in behind me._

_He found me, and began to pound on the closed door. Then he became infuriated and yelled-_

"Open the door!" I closed my eyes tightly. If I stayed still long enough, and didn't move, maybe he wouldn't find me- "Bella! Come on!" Tears fell freely now, and I curled into a ball, wedging myself between the counter and the cold porcelain toilet.

The insistent pounding ceased for a minute, but the relief never came. The was a click of metal. My breath came in short bursts. _No, no, no…_

My terror swelled as I heard the lock slide home. My eyes remained closed. _No, don't come in…Please don't come in…_

Feet thumped against the smooth tile of the floor……Something was pulling my hands away from my face……Someone was whispering to me…

"NO!" I yelled, trying to fight back. "Leave me alone!" I tried to wrench my arms away from them, only for their grip to tighten. _"NO!" _

"Isabella!" A familiar voice cried, making me freeze. _Why did they sound so familiar? _I opened one eye slowly, letting my mother suddenly appear in front of me. My mouth opened and shut slightly as I took in her worried expression.

"M-Mom…" I stuttered, allowing her, Alice, and Rosalie to pull me away from the floor. In a dream-like state I remained limp, letting them carry me into the living room. They set me down on the sofa slowly, each still holding on to me somehow. My head rolled back abruptly, and I blinked, finally comprehending. "Ah!" I sat up, my face flushed.

"Oh Isabella," Mom murmured, sitting down next to me. She wrapped her arms around me, bringing my closer and into her warm embrace. I closed my eyes and sighed. _It wasn't real…It was just a hoax. A dream._

I pulled away after a few moments.

"C-Can we just you know, watch a movie or something? Just so… You know?" My two best friends looked at my mother expectantly, waiting for her nod. Alice and Rosalie wandered over to the DVD rack, browsing through it.

"What is love!" Alice sang suddenly, pulling out _A Night at the Roxbury. _"Told you they still had it." She said to Rosalie, who laughed. They put it in quickly, and then sauntered over to me.

"You okay?" Rosalie whispered to me, draping an arm across my shoulders the minute my mother left the room to go make popcorn.

"I'll be fine." I replied, laughing as Alice plopped down next to me, making me bounce. I sighed and leaned back, ready for a night of watching Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan bobbing their heads to music, thinking they were cool.

I smiled widely, laughing hysterically along with my 'sisters' as we devoured any junk food we could find. I ignored the dull pang in my chest.

After all, he could never hurt me again. I was safe.

_Wasn't I?_

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

**A/N: **Bet you weren't expecting that were you? Who was 'he' you ask? Well, you'll find out soon enough…...Eventually.  
Ha, I love _A Night at the Roxbury_! _("What is love…")  
_.:Kate


	3. Peanut Butter and Jelly

_Summary:  
__/All human/I gawked at the boy walking through the door. The girls swooned at the sight of him. I froze. It couldn't be him. He turned, his eyes met mine. It was. And he was headed right for me. Him. I hate Edward Cullen. /I hate everything about you./_

**A/N: I love you people. You rock at reviewing. I mean it.**  
I know I probably ended up confusing people in the last chapter with the 'he'. It wasn't Edward though; you'll see who it is soon. For now, we'll call him…_He-Man!  
_Also, just as a forewarning, I'd like you all to know that this story is fully original, and is not an Edward-player, Bella-geek story. Character death –don't worry; only one minor character- is also involved.  
Filler chapter? I don't think so. Every chapter has a meaning here.

'_Now or Never'_ by **Three Days Grace**

_We have no use  
For the truth  
And now's the time for us to lose  
Who we are and how we've tried  
Taking every step in stride  
It now or never to decide_

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

_Ch. 3 Peanut Butter and Jelly _

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

"Twenty three times Alice. _Twenty three times_. You've said his name twenty three times in the last _half an hour_." She frowned at me.

"God, and you kept count?" I smirked, exchanging an all-knowing glance with Rosalie. Alice huffed. "Well sorry." She then eyed me warily. "And why does it matter that you can count?" Rosalie giggled, sitting down next to me on the floor on the big down comforter we had stolen from my room.

"It's not that hard to when you have an average that's higher than a C- in Trig." She said, flicking a fallen piece of popcorn at Alice. With an indignant '_hey!_' she swiped at it, trying not to laugh herself.

"You guys are so mean to me!" She whined, throwing a potato chip at Rosalie. I covered my mouth, trying to stifle my giggles as it got stuck in Rosalie's hair. She groaned and reached into the mane, accidentally burying it further. Alice lurched forward, grabbing her stomach. Rosalie picked an empty can of Coke and threw it at my head.

"Hey!" I yelped, feeling a bit of the sticky soda dripping down my nose. Alice snorted this time, biting her lip. I narrowed my eyes at her and grabbed the nearest pillow, throwing it at her face.

"Oof!" Alice mumbled, falling backwards. Rosalie –now with chip free hair- pounced on her, landing on Alice's flat stomach. I fell back against the couch, laughing hysterically as Rosalie then proceeded to pull back. Alice started to sit up slowly, only to then stare at Rose wide eyed. "Rose…" She warned, trying to scoot away. Rosalie tackled her again.

"Ah-ha!" Rose yelled, obviously mocking Alice's startled deer-caught-in-the-headlights look. I gasped for breath, bursting out into hysterics as Rosalie began to tickle her.

"Na- ah!" Alice yelled incoherently, grabbing at her sides as her words were garbled by laughter. I lurched forward, unable to breath. Alice screamed at Rosalie again.

"_Get off of me!_" She twisted, trying to get away from our friend, still giggling. "GET OFF!" She screamed again. My laughter faded a bit, just in time for her to yell, "Harassment! I'm being harassed!"

Rosalie rolled off now, tears in her eyes from laughing at our miniature pal.

"I'm so pressing charges." Alice hissed at her as she sat up, her face bright red. I snickered, picking up an unopened can of soda.

"Think fast." I stated, tossing it to her.

"Wh-OH!" She stammered, fumbling with it. "Ack!" Rosalie took a deep breath, pulling herself up off the floor. Her brow wrinkled as she looked down at us, 'the midget' and 'the peasant'.

"I'll be back." She said to us in a tone that sounded a lot like _The Terminator _as she got up, walking to the bathroom.

"Ve'll be vaiting." Alice replied, making fun of Rose. We smiled at each other, looking at Rose's untouched can of soda, which was still closed. After Alice gave a quick nod, I reached for it. Still grinning like goofs at one another, I began to shake it. Alice snickered darkly once I set it back down on the table, in the exact same spot I had gotten it.

Rosalie returned a few minutes later, shaking out her hair as she came toward us, her bare feet smacking against the hardwood. She stopped when she saw us, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Okay, what did you do this time?" I gave her a wide eyed 'Who, me?' look while Alice just turned away, trying to hide her smiles behind her short, dark hair. Rosalie put her hands on her hips, her gaze shifting between the two of us. "You two are up to something…" She muttered, plopping back down on the floor next to us.

I snickered.

"If you say so,"

"I know so." She retorted, reaching for her soda can. Alice bit her lip, a bit of a snort coming out. I shot a quick 'shut up' glance at her. Rosalie picked up her soda, bringing it to her lips. "What a minute." She muttered, bringing the can away to examine it. She 'hmph'd' at it. I looked away, trying to avoid the sure-fire laughing fit I was going to have when it blew up in Rose's face. My gaze locked with Alice's for a moment, and I frowned at her surprised look.

"Alice what's-?"

"Hey Bella," Rosalie cut me off, making me turn to face her.

"Wh-"

The next thing I knew, a full can of -shaken- carbonated soda was spraying me in the face. I sputtered in surprise, feeling a laugh build somewhere in my, along with annoyance. I fell backwards once the wave of Coke was over, wiping at my eyes with my hands.

"_Hey!_ That wasn't very nice!" I hissed at Rosalie. She smiled maliciously, putting the can back down.

"Sorry, just had to make sure. Besides, did I ever say I was _nice_?" She retorted, smirking at me. Alice leaned back against the chair, giggling to herself.

"You've got to admit Bella, that was good." I rolled my eyes, now wiping my face with the paper towels Rose had given me.

"Really?" I asked, throwing a large blanket at her. Rose and I giggled at her, watching as it covered her whole body.

"I'm blind! Blinded-ed! Heavens no!" Rosalie shook her head, reclining back against the sofa I was leaning against. Shaking our heads, we watched Alice struggle with her blanket, trying to find a way out. Rosalie raised a fist to me, and I did the same to here, bumping our fists together.

"_Ha!_" Alice shouted abruptly, finally out from under her prison. "I'm free, I'm free!" We all fell over, choking on hysterics.

The next hour followed in a similar fashion, the three of us rolling around laughing, throwing things at one another, cracking jokes, and being us. Rosalie and Alice messed around a bit, tickling one another, and eventually dragging me into the mess. Together the three of us were whole. We were best friends, comrades, sisters. Without one of us the other two were heartbroken and miserable. When one was sad the other two were sad. When one was happy we all were happy.

_If one fell the other two would catch them._

We were like peanut butter and jelly. Perfect together, horrible apart.

In the corner of my eye I saw through the spaces in the blinds that were allowing some sunlight to spill through. I squinted, looking around for the clock.

"Are you serious?" I muttered when I found it, a bit bewildered that the sun was still up at this time.

"What are you serious about?" Rosalie breathed through her giggles, giving me a questioning look. I shook my head.

"It's almost twenty after seven and the sun's still up." She frowned at me. I shrugged. "Well I just thought it was odd is all…"

Alice rolled to her side in order to face me. One of her eyebrows was raised as she watched me. "Is that a bad thing?"

"No," I said, trying to think of something to say.

"Did you have a date or something?"

I felt my face heat up.

"N-no,"

"Oh god you did didn't you?!" Alice squealed, leaping up. She clapped her hands in joy as Rosalie stood. Still blushing, I watched as they both squealed loudly, clasping their hands and jumping around in circles.

"After almost a year, our dear Bella will be on the dating scene again!" Alice proclaimed, smiling widely. Also smiling, Rosalie bent over to grab me under my arm, hoisting me up next to them.

"So tell us Bella," Rosalie said, holding out an invisible microphone. "How does it feel to be dating again after you're breakup with E-"

I cut her off, glaring at her. She took a step back in shock, her hands held up in defeat.

"Don't you ever, _ever_, say that name again." My hands were balled into fists and my eyes were like slits as I glared at my two best friends.

"Sorry, sorry!" Rosalie responded, waving her hands in front of her. "I didn't mean it! Honest!" Slowly, bit by bit, I calmed, feeling each and every one of my muscles relax.

"Sorry," I mumbled, embarrassed. Alice shook her head.

"Don't be."

I sighed, sitting down on the worn sofa, burying my face in my hands. I bounced a bit as they plopped down next to me. I pulled my face away from my hands after a few moments of silence.

"Mike Newton asked me to a movie next weekend, if that means anything." I said with a grimace. Mike wasn't an ugly boy by any means, but I don't think his brain was fully attached to...some things. He seemed to be more a dull 'let's talk about me' kind of date, instead of a 'can I get that for you, how are you, are you okay' amazing date like Ed-

"So are you going-?" Alice prodded, elbowing me and bringing me out of my reminiscence-like state.

"Are you kidding? It'd be a pity date!" I yelped, almost shouting as I threw my hands up in the air. Rosalie chuckled.

"For him or you?" She said jokingly, making me smirk.

"For him of course." Alice rolled her eyes.

"No duh." She muttered. She stood up and then stood before us, waiting until we were both watching her. "You see, guys like him, they usually don't think with their brains-"

"-because they rarely even think at all." We all said in unison, chuckling to ourselves. Alice nodded and then sat down with us again.

"Hey, do you guys think we could……go somewhere?" I asked after the short silence. Alice perked up a bit.

"Sure! There's tons of places we could go. There's the mall, shops, the movies, the mall-"

I shook my head. "Not those kinds of places."

"Then what do you…mean?" She asked, her brow furrowing. I glanced at Rose who nodded at me. "Oh." Alice whispered a minute later, nodding solemnly. "I guess we could."

"I'll drive." Rosalie murmured, getting up to grab her sandals, Alice followed suit shortly afterwards. I remained on the couch for a little while longing, looking around the room. There were no more flashes of life-threatening memories at the moment, so that was a start.

"Bella," Alice called softly from the archway leading to the foyer. "You ready to go?"

I sighed, taking a deep breath before I stood and followed. "I guess so."

_It was a short drive, and one I had not been planning to take at this time. I doubt anyone ever wants to take this route, to drive down these streets…_

I rested my head against the back of the seat, barely enjoying the feel of the wind blowing through my hair in Rose's convertible.

She slowed a bit, taking the turn I now knew like the back of my hand. I opened my eyes, watching the sky slide behind the trees as we began to reach our destination. I sat up when Rosalie stopped.

"We're here." She said softly, glancing at me in the rearview mirror as I began to climb out. "We'll stay here if you want us to." She said to me, still watching me. I nodded.

"Thank you,"

Dead leaves swirled around my half bare feet as I walked; the branches above swaying gently in the summer breeze. A squirrel squeaked, and a bird chirped somewhere in the limbs of the trees nearby.

Had I been walking in any other place, I would have smiled, enjoying my walk through mature. People walking by would be able to smile as well as they watched a bright eyed smiling girl dancing with the wind.

The only thing people passing by would see now would be a quiet girl who was watching her feet as she walked, as if she had no idea where she was.

The truth was that the girl was quiet and sad girl, who saw the world as a dark hole, waiting to swallow everyone and everything she loved.

I stepped over a stick, finally finding what I had come here for. I ignored the rest of my surroundings as I knelt before it.

In front of the cold grey marble stone before me I set the forget-me-nots I had found on my way here. Rocking back on my heels I stared at them for a moment. I sat down then, cross-legged, brushing dirt, grass and leaves away from it. Reaching out again, I brushed my fingertips along the carving of his name, feeling the coolness of the letters.

I brought my hands back, and then clasped my knees with them tightly. Tears started to make the words blurry, and for once I let them. I took a few breaths, trying to prepare myself for what I was going to say.

I let the air out and then spoke to the breeze and the headstone before me. The tears started to fall harder, making me choke on my words.

"Hey Dad,"

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

**A/N:** This chapter came out later than I would have wanted, but something came up and I was unable to update sooner. Sorry about that. I've also got this week off from school –woo Spring Break!- and hope to post at least two more chapters by the end of the week.  
Anyways, what do you think? Despite the two genres listed for this story, it's not all humor and romance. Some angst is thrown in as well.  
Some parts of later chapters are pretty sad and upsetting, so my apologies in advance for any tears. I'm trying not to cry as I write.  
(To whomever it may concern, I'm also planning on posting a new chapter of "Love and Memories" by the end of the night!)  
.:Kate


	4. Bubblegum Heart

_Summary_:  
_/All human/I gawked at the boy walking through the door. The girls swooned at the sight of him. I froze. It couldn't be him. He turned, his eyes met mine. It was. And he was headed right for me. Him. I hate Edward Cullen. /I hate everything about you./_

**A/N: I'm finally updating again! High fives! **_**(slap)**_**  
**Sorry, I know I said I'd update, like, three months ago, but some family and other related issues that I had no control over occurred, so that kind of delayed this chapter… (Seriously, you want me to update during a funeral?) (That was in April?)  
Moving on.**  
**This chapter is happier than the last toward the middle and end, and involves a bit of a party scene, along with a character that not many people like Edward with later in the story.  
Because I felt bad for not updating sooner, and just because I couldn't find another spot to end it, this chapter is longer than most.  
This is for all you guys.  
Please note: anything_ like this _is a memory/flashback.

'_Just Like You'_ by **Three Days Grace**

_You thought you were there to guide me  
You were only in my way  
You're wrong if you think that I'll be just like you  
You thought you were there to guide me  
You were only in my way  
You're wrong if you think that I'll be just like you_

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

_Ch. 4: Bubblegum Heart_

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

_He reached down toward me, his fingers almost twitching in anticipation. I let out a startled cry and he grabbed fistfuls of my hair, dragging my screaming, sobbing self from the second floor bathroom._

_Ungracefully he shoved me down the stairs, watching and laughing as I tumbled, trying to grasp something to stop my descent._

_As I landed at the base of the stairs I rolled a few feet. A loud crack echoed around me, and I clutched at my forehead as I grew more and more dizzy over time. _

_This couldn't be happening._

_He took his time walking down the stairs, whistling a tune to himself._

_Something wet and sticky flowed down and across my brow. With a shaking hand I timidly wiped a bit of the warm liquid away, trying to fight the growing nausea within me. Blood._

_His footfall stopped a few inches before my face, and I slowly raised my spinning head. His foot clashed with my stomach, making me curl into a screaming ball. He reached down, his muscular meaty hands clutching my shoulders._

"_Let go of me!" I yelled, fighting against him in vain. "Stop!" The mace that had normally resided in my pocket was gone, tucked away in the jeans that were buried in my laundry hamper. He made me stand, pushing me rudely into the front room._

_No longer able to resist the increasing bile I doubled over and retched as I took in the scene before me. The normally white east wall was splattered with a deep crimson, and limp, frail bodies lie motionless only a few feet away._

_I was forced to my knees beside the body. A new found wave of tears accompanied the wail as I took a glimpse at the body next to which I was kneeling._

_My father._

"_Dad!" I reached toward him, clasping his immobile shoulder. "Daddy…" My voice broke as I cried, making me trail off._

_From behind he nudged me with his foot, sending me sprawling forward. I felt as if my heart would burst in my chest then._

_I rolled onto my back just as the gentle click of metal sounded. I looked up at him with half-lidded eyes. I was exhausted and terrified and wanting nothing more than for this nightmare to end._

_He raised the gun, aiming it at my head. I uttered the most stereo-typical and common question that could possibly have been asked in the current situation._

"_Why are you doing this?" He smirked a bit, shaking some black hair out of his dark eyes._

"_Simple." He shrugged, lowering his aim slightly, as if debating whether to shoot me in the head or chest._

"_Because I can." _

_The shot rang out loudly, echoing in my ears for long moments after its initiation. Silently I rolled back onto my stomach just as the front door slammed shut._

_I was slowly... Slowly… Losing…_

I was still shaking violently as I peeked through the gentle beams of the sun, slowly starting to sit up the recliner I had slept in the previous night. I wiggled my way out of my blanket cocoon, smiling as I looked out at my friends.

Alice was splayed on the couch upside down, her mouth hanging open in a silent snore. Her head was the only thing visible, the rest of her body buried under the huge blanket she was using. The corner of her mouth twitched.

Rosalie was curled up into a ball on the floor, wrapped in the humungous down comforter, nested into the many other sheets and blankets piled underneath her.

_And my butt was asleep._

I groaned, trying to get up, only to find my foot wedged between the two cushions both behind, and beneath me. I grunted, trying to wiggle my pins-and-needles foot free, as Alice snored loudly, calling Jasper an idiotic fool in her dream.

"Oi vey…Aw, you sweet….boy…Kiss me you fool!" Alice puckered her lips, smiling to herself. Wow. Even in her dreams Jasper was must have been a good kisser. I shook my head I got up and out of the chair, not falling on my face for the first time in years. I cheered to myself silently over this victory, stepped over Rosalie's head…

And bashed my shin against the coffee table.

"_Ow!_" I hissed under my breath, rubbing my hand against the sore spot. "_Ow, ow, ow!_" Rosalie grunted, shifting in her sleep. I sucked in my breath, giving myself a minute to make sure that I had not awoken Rosalie. I didn't feel the desire to have my face rearranged on me. No thank you. She sighed once, and I let out my breath in response.

Picking my way through the sea of empty cartons, discarded wrappers, slippers, magazine articles we had clipped out over night, and other various clothing garments I made my way into the kitchen after a moment or two. (I later found Jonathan Bennett's head stuck to my heel.)

I paused in the archway hearing a stifle sound float through the air toward me. I peeked around the corner, finding my mother sitting in one of the mismatched chairs at the kitchen table with her back to me. It took me a moment to realize that she was whispering to herself.

I pressed my ear against the wall to better hear what she was saying, a bit confused. _What could she possibly be crying over? _The calendar hanging next to the back door answered my stupid question.

June 16th.

I bit my lip, trying my best not to cry. Today was that day. The anniversary. On this day only a year before my father had died.

Tears prickled along the rims of my eyes, and I immediately blinked them away. My mother continued to cry and speak in gentle whispers. I crept toward her to better hear.

"…Why did you leave me Charlie?" Her voice broke here. "……Why did you have to go? Why?" Her shoulders shook as she raised her hands to her face. "………Why did they have to take you? Why couldn't you stay for Bella? For…me? Why couldn't you stay for just a bit longer? Who will Bella dance with at her wedding? Her father-daughter dance…You were supposed to be there Charlie! _You weren't supposed to leave me!_" She yelled the last bit.

I hurriedly went to her, wrapping my arms around her shoulders. I buried my face in her messy hair, willing myself not to cry. The last thing my mother needed was to have to push aside her tears to comfort her daughter. She stiffened, trying to stifle her sobs as she leaned back against me. Mom blinked up at me, wiping at her bright blue eyes with the base of her palm. She smiled weakly at me.

"Oh I'm sorry dear! I didn't mean to wake you." I shook my head, curling her already curly hair around my finger.

"Nah, I was already up. Do you know how loudly Alice snores when she sleeps?" (I could picture her giving me an indignant "Hey!" at this remark.) I said, still playing with her hair. Her smile gained confidence.

"I could hear her from my bedroom upstairs." She responded, and I had to withhold a sigh. Her bedroom. Not _our_ bedroom, not your father's and my bedroom. It hadn't been his bedroom for a year now.

"Eh, I'm sure people in Kazakhstan have heard it by now." I muttered, my mother frowned.

"Oh, you weren't watching Borat again now were you? You know how much I can't stand that movie." She chided, shaking her head. The only reason she couldn't stand to watch it now was the fact that it had been the last movie she'd watched with my father.

"Oh come on! You know you like the movie!" I said. Smirking, I gave her two thumbs up, giving her my own Borat impression. "Is nice!"

She let out a shaky sigh, and then truly smiled up at me. I took a step back, letting her full stand and stretch. She pushed the chair back to the table and smiled at me, giving me a mischievous wink.

"Alright, well I'm going upstairs and getting ready for my shift." She turned and began up the stairs before she looked back at me. "And I don't want any phone calls from someone's parents that you girls have been up to trouble." I gave her a 'Who? _Moi_?' look that only made her laugh.

"Do you _have_ to work?" I asked her as I stood at the bottom of the stairway, watching my mother who stood, now still, at the top. Her shoulders slumped a bit and glanced down at me, slightly curious.

"Well, it's not like you girls would notice that I was gone anyways. Don't you have a party to go to?" I shrugged at her.

"Well yeah, I guess. But still, when's the last time we actually did something together?" I shot back, shuffling from foot to foot, somewhat anxious. There was a few moments of uncomfortable silence before she responded.

"Tell you what. Next weekend after all of your finals are over, you and I will go and do whatever. It'll be a girl's night out, just the two of us." When I didn't say anything immediately, she shook her head and continued. "Besides, I thought I wasn't exactly in your 'inner circle of friends'."

I rolled my eyes.

"I have you in my Top Five on my phone, if that amounts to anything." She closed her eyes for a moment, and I braced myself for the worst. Not wanting my two closest friends to be awoken during the sure fire rant; I quickly made my way up the stairs to stand directly across from my mother in the somewhat too narrow hallway.

"That's exactly what I mean." I cocked my head to the side, confused. She went on, not even skipping a beat. "You are like some other girl lately, Bella. The way you dress has changed, the people who hang out with, the things you do…" She glanced skyward and then closed her eyes.

"Look, I understand that you have boundaries and limits, but I don't want you pushing me away. I want you to be able to talk to me." I held my tongue, resisting the urge to lash back at her. "Bella, have you seen yourself lately? Have you seen all the changes you've been through?" She gestured at my pajamas with her hand as she said this. I looked down at my small shorts and t-shirt. My mother reached out and touched my arm gently. "Where's my little girl?"

"I'm right here mom." I muttered, pulling away from her and back towards the stairs. I felt my eyes narrow slightly. She sighed again. "You just…" I stopped, taking another step back toward the steps. "You just don't understand! No one does! And you never will!" I shouted, turning and starting back down the stairs.

"Bella!" My mother called after me, but gave up once she realized I wasn't going to turn around. I made it back into the mediocre living room and paused in the archway. I turned, peeking back up the stairs to see if my mother had followed. The sudden start of hot water was my only answer.

I groaned, leaning backward and resting my head against the wall as I listened to the gentle hum of the bathroom radio. _God, I'm such a frickin' witch sometimes! _My mom had only been trying to help, and I snapped at her. Just like I snapped at almost everyone else. I looked down at the floor, watching my feet.

_Or maybe I'll just Bi-polar. Yes, that's me. Bi-polar Miss Isabella Marie Swan. Fear me and my mood swings._

Alice and Rose had begun stirring, snapping me out of my reverie. Alice snorted, rolling over a bit and ending up lying precariously by the edge. I held in a laugh as Rose groaned, wedging herself right next to the couch. I choked down a giggle as Alice rolled again.

"Agh!" Alice shrieked, landing on Rosalie's back.

"Ow!" Rose yelled back, now fully awake. Alice was still in a daze. "Gerroff!"

I snorted as Rose shoved Alice onto the floor, wincing when I noticed that the back of Alice's head had come two inches from slamming against the corner of the coffee table.

"If you guys would stop trying to kill each other, I'll feed you both breakfast." I mused, knowing full well that an order of s'mores Pop-Tarts was in order. At this sound of my offering food, Alice shot up and off the floor, bolting at me.

"Feed meh!" She yelled, giggling as she made a strange face. I pushed her shoulder as she passed to get to the kitchen. Rosalie stretched out on the floor like my mother's cat Pepper, trying to get her back to crack. She smiled up at me sleepily.

"I'll be up in a minute, just as soon as I regain feeling in my back."

"Not my fault!" Alice shot back from her spot in the kitchen. Even with my back turned to her, I could sense that she was digging through the cupboards, looking for something edible.

After ten minutes of tearing through my mom's neatly organized cupboards Alice had produced a box of s'mores Pop-Tarts, three cups of highly caffeinated coffee, mint Milano cookies, and rather satisfied Mary Alice Cullen.

We sat in a semi-circle in the three random chairs, talking about unimportant things and what we planned to do with our impending summer. (We each had only one more exam to complete on Monday, and none of us were really looking forward to it.) It was during a brief moment of silence that I voiced a thought that had been troubling me ever since yesterday afternoon.

"Why didn't you tell me Alice," It wasn't to be taken as a question, more so as an accusation. Alice sighed, setting down her coffee. "Why didn't you tell me that your brother was back in town? Or do you enjoy how much he irritated me now?" She visibly gulped, and Rosalie nervously broke her Pop-Tart into tiny bite-sized pieces.

"Well," Alice said. "At first I didn't really think it mattered." I went to speak, but she cut me off, looking me dead in the eye. "Let me finish. I didn't tell you for only a small handful of reasons. One: Because of what he did to you. Bella, it was beyond wrong, and I –like you and Rose- will never forgive him for it. I didn't want to watch you fall to bits like you did the last time you saw him."

"Two: Because I've lost almost all respect for him, and in my eyes, he has morphed into a prick. For that reason alone I fail to see why so many girl fawn over him. Of course, another cause of that may be the fact that we are blood related."

"And my last reason, three: Because I don't trust him Bella. From what I saw at the end of last summer, and from what I've watched him progress into what he is now. Sure, he seems like a caring little gentleman to all of those other girls, but they don't know him like we do." Alice sat back in her chair, folded her arms over her chest, and sighed.

"Alright, my last reason made no sense at all, but I know you get the idea." I nodded, smiling timidly.

"I'm sorry that I kinda snapped at you just now." I said apologetically. "But I know you do it because you care." Alice smiled.

"Yes, because I love you this much!" She said, holding out her arms. I laughed. Rosalie –not to be out done- huffed, spread her arms out as well.

"Are you kidding me? Look at how short your arms are!" Rosalie yelled at Alice, smiling. "Now as for me, I love you guys _this_ much!" We all laughed now, and I too opened my arms widely, expressing how much I loved my two best friends.

"Go Team B.A.R.!" Alice shouted, making me laugh even harder. Rosalie giggled as well, raising an eyebrow.

"Gosh, you still remember that? That was from what? Kindergarten?" I nodded.

"Uh-huh. Remember making that up? We used the first letters of our first names for it." I sighed, breaking my Pop-Tart in half. Alice remained silent, still smiling down at the table. "What's up?" I asked her after a while.

"Well, going back to our earlier discussion…" She set down what she had in her hands and placed her hands on the table palm side down. "Bella, since you love me that much, I think it's only reasonable for you to allow Rose and I to dress you up for the end of the year party tonight."

I choked on my coffee.

"You're kidding right?" I mused, not feeling overly confident about this party. (Standing in an overcrowded room with a bunch of people you pretended to be friends with as they whined about their boyfriends, their friends, their hair, and other unimportant topics had never truly been my thing.) "Isn't it one of those parties where the parents are out of town and some kid's older brother is stupid enough to get them a keg?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "Honestly Bella, I doubt it's going to be that kind of party. Besides, don't you want to uphold your fake reputation as Ms. Popularity?" I winced. "See? Just a year and a half ago you told us you never wanted to be part of the popular crew, yet here you are now, trying to blend in with the people you hate. I agree with your mother, what happened to the old Bella we once knew?" See, Rose wasn't the best kind of person to mess with. If you decent to her, she could be kind and outgoing, but if you said something out of line she wouldn't hesitated to put you in your place.

"People change." I said, taking a sip of my coffee. "Case in point." I said, gesturing at the yearbook that had been sitting on the table in front of Alice. It was currently opened to the Junior class photo. I pointed at Edward.

"That's not what I meant Bella. I know he's a real stick in the mud, but was your break up what really caused you to change?" Rose said, refraining from swearing in my mother's household while she was still in the general vicinity of the room.

"Fine." I muttered, pushing away my food. "If it'll make you stop bagging on me and my choices, I'll go to the party with you." Alice drew her fist toward herself as she mouthed a silent 'yes!'.

Spending three and a half hours in the cramped upstairs bathroom and then dashing back and forth to my bedroom to choose an outfit was not my ideal way to spend a Saturday. Alice kept insisting that if I wanted to maintain my rung on the social ladder, I had to at least dress the part. And jeans and a T-shirt weren't cutting it.

"Is this really necessary?" I huffed and Alice applied a bit more of eye shadow to my eyelid.

"Yes. Well, mostly because I hardly ever get to dress you up, and I figured that I'd take the opportunity when I had it." Alice replied as she put down the eye shadow and went for the brush instead.

"Oh ye of little faith." I said as she worked on combing through any knots in my hair.

"You should be proud of your looks Bella." Rose said in between applied lipstick as she faced the mirror, still looking back down at me from where I sat on the rim of the tub. "Not many girls could go from Plain Jane's to how you look today." I frowned. Sometime Rosalie's words came out harshly, but she meant well. She caught herself and immediately tried to back track. "Oops. Um, on another note, I'm very proud of you Bella. I told you to start using that conditioner I gave you and you actually listened." She put away the lipstick and smiled at me.

"And now your hair shalt be silky smooooth!" Alice crowed from her position of kneeling in the tub behind me as she brushed my hair. (I told her I could do it myself, but she refused to let my do anything.) About five minutes later Alice sighed with satisfaction. "Done."

Rosalie put away the rest of the make-up and adjusted her black skirt so that it hugged her hips the way she wanted it to while she also fixed one of the straps of her tank-top. Her heels clipped against the tile as she exited the bathroom, telling us that she would meet us in the car. Self-conscious I looked down at myself, taking in my own outfit.

Because I told Alice I preferred to go in a T-shirt for fear of feeling exposed –which I always did feel- Alice has persuaded me to at least layer a few tank-tops and a sleeveless shirt, telling me that it looked better than a frumpy old shirt. I tugged on the bottom of my skirt, willing to go to my knees.

Noticing my slight glare in her direction, Alice held up her hands defensively. "Hey, at least I didn't make you wear heels like last time. I gave you flip flops." I grunted, folding my arms over my stomach. "Aw Bella, come on! It's only for tonight! And, to make you a bit happier, I'm not wearing fishnet stockings!" When I didn't responded, her arms fell limply to her sides, and she gave me a saddened look. "Bella…"

"But you're wearing fishnet sleeves!" I retorted, waving a hand at her arms, which were wrapping in a fishnet like material. Also, despite the fact that she told time and time again that a T-shirt wouldn't do, she herself was wearing one! Although I must admit that this one looked rather small to be mine, and was torn in a few places to reveal more fishnet material under her shirt.

"Yeah, but do I look like the hooker you said I looked like last time?" I shook my head, and she smiled. "Alright, enough of our fighting and what not. It's time to go par-ty!"

Even I couldn't help but smile at the way she said that.

Jessica Stanley's house had never looked more ominous. I swear, if you thought the place looked foreboding –because she live there- when it was just her family, then you've never seen her place when it's in all out party mode.

_Was that the sound of glass breaking?_ I wondered to myself as we sat on the curb in front of the house. Even Alice and Rose looked fearful.

"You guys ready?" Rosalie asked. Alice and I both nodded simultaneously.

"Let's do this." I muttered, hopping out of the car, my two friends soon following suit. As I made my way up the front walkway flanked on either side by Alice and Rose, my self-esteem rose slightly. I was going to have a good time with my best friends, what else did I need?

Not Jessica's whiney voice greeting me, that's for sure.

"Oh my god! You come! I didn't think you actually would!" She gushed, yanking us into the house. Although were good people, Alice and Rose quickly left me alone with Jess as they went off in search of their boyfriends Jasper and Emmett. I tuned out the rest of Jess's conversation, not overly caring for what she had to say. That's when I saw a quick blur of rather recognizable color. Bronze.

"Hey," I ended up interrupting Jessica in the middle of her discussing how Tyler had beaten Eric at an arm wrestling match earlier on in the party. "Would you excuse me for a moment?" Without waiting for Jessica to respond I threw myself into the crowded room, making my way to the kitchen. I offered quick 'hello's and 'what's up's to people I hardly knew before I finally tripped into the kitchen. As I was picking myself up off of the floor, I tried to ignore the heat that flashed across my face.

To my surprise the kitchen was actually empty. I brushed off my skirt, making my way over the counter that had a couple stacks of plastic drinking cups. I took one and held it under the sink, filling it with cold water. I brought it to my lips and practically chugged it.

I placed my hands on the edge of the counter as I stared out of the window in front of me. I don't know for sure how long I stood there, but then out of the blue came a rather unpleasant noise. A cough.

I whirled around then in shock, only to find myself face to face with the boy I hated.

"Please don't knee me in the groin like you're planning to."

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

**A/N:** Oi vey, I'm finally done with this chapter. To be truthful, I never thought it would end up being this long! (7 ½ pages on my Microsoft Word Document.)  
Did you enjoy it though, for the most part?  
Whaddya think about this creepy nightmare in the beginning? Strange and creepy I know, but it was meant to show you how Bella changed into how she is in the story now.  
(Sorry if the ending seemed rushed, but I have a baseball game to attend soon.)  
Now that I look back on it, it doesn't really seem like much happened, does it?  
Then again, before you all rant about how this chapter was practically just a filler, I'd like to say one thing: The conversations between Bella and her mother, Bella and Alice, and the girls were all put in there to show you the characters personalities, and how they perceive one another.  
I apologize for the delay, and the next chapter should be much more interesting than this one was.  
.:Kate


	5. Bug Guts and Beestings

_Summary_:  
_/All human/I gawked at the boy walking through the door. The girls swooned at the sight of him. I froze. It couldn't be him. He turned, his eyes met mine. It was. And he was headed right for me. Him. I hate Edward Cullen. /I hate everything about you./_

**A/N: I'm updating slower than I was before in the last few months. That's a bad thing, right?  
**Personally, I don't think much happened in the last chapter, so I tried to add more action and debating and what not into this chapter.  
Since I feel like torturing the people that read this, I've only given half of Bella's reasons for hating Edward. (She has two. I'm an evil person. I'll make you all hate me. Jon Stewart is funny. I'll stop with the short sentences now.)  
Can you find it in your hearts to forgive the poor boy?

'_Let it Die'_ by **Three Days Grace**

_We had time on our side  
In the beginning we  
We had nothing to hide  
In the beginning you  
You blame me but  
It's not fair when you say that I didn't try  
I just don't want to hear it anymore_

I swear I never meant to let it die  
I just don't care about you anymore  
It's not fair when you say that I didn't try  
I just don't care about you anymore

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

_Ch. 5: Bug Guts and Beestings_

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

"I love how you practically stalk me." I muttered at the boy I hated standing not three feet away from me.

"I'm not stalking you! I'm just documenting your every move for future reference." He said with a timid smile. When he realized that I was obviously unamused by his attempt at humor, his smile faded. He sighed. "Bella, c'mon. I know I messed up, but can't you let me at least explain?"

I hadn't noticed that I was still holding my cup in my hands until I crushed it. My eyes narrowed. "Oh, so you want to talk now do you? Wanting to stick your hands up the back of my shirt way back when wasn't enough for you?" He ran a hand through his hair.

"See? This here is why that whole thing happened. You don't even give a guy a chance to talk, but expect him to suddenly grovel like his life depended on it. And FYI, that's not what I wanted." I frowned.

"What you did doesn't even warrant an excuse, and I don't expect you to grovel, although an apology would be nice." I put the mangled cup on the counter, trying to squeeze my way around Edward. "Then again, asking an apology from you is a bit much isn't it?"

What I expected wasn't what I got. Sure, I expected him to yell at me, but what he did instead? I would've killed him if I could think straight.

He kissed me. He actually kissed me. (Okay, maybe he only meant to turn me around to face him, but our faces did get a bit close…) His arms were warmed as they snaked around my waist, making me feel a bit giddy. Then again, if I didn't want to bash his head into the counter I probably would have enjoyed it more. He eyes were closed as he held me close, and my body acted on pure instinct. My arms snaked their way around his neck, and I too soon closed my eyes. Every part of my body that came into contact with his tingled. From where his hands held my back to where my lips touched his was on fire.

I swear that this was probably the best thing that had happened to me all year.

Just as I went to hold him closer, something inside of me snapped. Rage suddenly replaced the joy I was feeling, along with a growing sense of surprise on the side. I did the only thing a strong willed woman would/could do in a time like this.

I slapped him across the face.

Part of me was shocked that I would do such a thing. Another part of me was doing the wave and cheering like they were at a sports event. I glanced down at my outstretched hand in shock. Although, I couldn't say that I actually regretted hitting him. It actually felt pretty good.

"Don't you _ever_, _ever_ do that again." I hissed into his ear, trying to keep my voice level when I finally found it. I noticed a large area of his cheek begin to redden. I let out a shaky breath as I took a step back, trying to ignore how my lips still felt like they were on fire.

"Of course, I ask her not kick me in the groin and so she slaps me in the face instead." He muttered to himself under his breath as he rubbed the handprint on his face. I clenched my hands into fists and resisted the urge to give him a pair of black eyes. (My foot was also itching to hit 'im where it hurts.) I spun on my heel, making my way toward the music filled living room.

"Wait," I stopped unwillingly, finding the door to the living room only a few feet away. _Maybe if I pretended not to hear him… _"Just give me five minutes of your time, will you?" I turned my face to him slowly. His expression was one of hurt and panic, as if he were afraid that I would turn and run without giving him the light of day. (Which I had originally been planning on.)

"Fine. Five minutes." I mumbled, walking toward him with deliberate slowness. I put the kitchen island between us just to emphasize my point. "Now that you have my undivided attention, Oh-Cruel-One, what's number one on your teaching agenda for today?" I watched his jaw clench in annoyance. He willed himself to relax.

"I know why you hate me," He began. "And I just want you to know that I hate myself for what I did as well." I folded my arms over my chest and waited for him to continue. "Look, I know that I sound stupid right now, but I just want you to know a few things about me that may explain why what happened, happened." He ran his hand through his hair again. "You see… I just…" He trailed off, obviously unable to find any words to use. I clenched my jaw, glancing down at the granite top of the island. Half a minute ticked by ominously.

"Edward." His head snapped up once I said his name, and I ignored the rapid feeling of butterflies in my stomach. "What happened…" I closed my eyes, fighting back tears and a swarm of butterflies.

He didn't say anything. A feeling of hatred and anger swelled, and the butterflies were mashed into a bunch of bug guts. My eyes shot open, and I glared at him dead in the eye.

"I was in the hospital for two and a half weeks Edward. A card or a phone call would have sufficed. But no, the glorious jerk named Edward couldn't bring himself to do it." He winced. "Do you know how that felt Edward?" He still refused to respond. "I felt like a complete fool Edward! I kept asking the nurses if they'd seen a boy with reddish hair and green eyes at all, and got strange looks in response!" I threw my hands into the air.

"God, Edward! You never came at all! The whole time I was practically dying because I'd just watched my father die, and to top it all off, there had been a bullet lodged in my kidney! So thank you, thank you Edward. I deeply appreciate your making me feel like an idiot." I slammed my palms against the island, relishing the sting of my hands.

"Did you notice how I changed?" I whispered after a few moments of unsettling silence between us –the music was still pounding in the other room. "Did you see how I acted differently around you? The way I dressed, the way I spoke…" I closed my eyes. "I earned a reputation I didn't want. I became someone I didn't want to be, and it was all because of you." I opened my eyes and looked back up at him. His face was pale and expressionless. His eyes looked almost clouded over.

"Edward, I did all of that for you." I said. "I did all of that because I felt that I wasn't good enough for you. I was trying… I was trying to feel… Worthy." I blinked, holding back tears. "Like I finally deserved the chance to be with you. All because you didn't even try to show up at the hospital while I lay there half dead." I stepped away from the island, turning my back to him. There was a shuffling of feet behind me as Edward came to stand behind me.

"Bella…" He reached out slowly, tentatively.

"Just tell me one thing." I murmured, not turning to look at him. I took a deep breath. "Every word, every touch, every kiss before and after the hospital," I took another breath and then spun around to look him in the eye.

"Was it all a lie?" I asked, attempting to mask the pain in my voice with monotony. He averted his gaze and sighed. I took that response negatively, and tried not to break down in tears right there.

"Bella-"

"See, I thought that you loved me," I murmured, looking down at the floor and then back up at his face. "And the worst part was, I actually loved you back."

And so I turned, and walked back toward the door, leaving Edward Cullen alone -and maybe even broken-hearted- in the middle of Jessica Stanley's kitchen.

"Just do me a favor," I said over my shoulder as I reached for the kitchen door. "And stay out of my life."

The door swung shut behind me with a deafening silence. The music pounded all around me, but I didn't hear it. It was like being submerged under water. The songs and laughter and sounds of the room and people were there, just toned down in my ears. There was a wetness on my face, and I quickly brushed it away.

Edward didn't need me, and I sure didn't need him.

I took a deep breath, stepping back into the crowd I had so desperately wanted to belong to. I swayed the way I was supposed to the songs, danced the way I was supposed to, and talked the way they expected me to. All the while I felt like smashing my fist into someone's face.

"Bella!" A familiar voice caught my attention, and I turned my head to see Jasper trying to squeeze his way through the ever suffocating throng of people.

"Hey Jasper!" I called back, all hint of misery gone from my voice. "What's up?" I asked him once he finally came to stand beside me. He smiled, a slick gleam of sweat on his forehead.

"What?" He yelled back, bending down to better hear me.

"I said, 'What's up?'" I repeated. His brow furrowed, and he looked confused.

"'Mutt butt'? Do I want to know?" He responded. I laughed, shaking my head.

"Never mind! _What is up?_" I shouted in his ear. He nodded.

"Okay! Not much. Just looking for my disappearing girlfriend. You seen her?" He asked. I paused, shaking me head as my gaze flew over the people nearest me.

"Nope." When he turned to walk away, I grabbed his arm. He looked back down at me, waiting for me to say something.

"Hey do you even know half of these people?" Jasper's gaze skipped over the still growing crowd.

"Not a clue." He said with a smile before disappearing again.

I lost all zest for this party in a matter of two minutes flat. Seriously, I could have cared less about how Tyler could belch his ABC's, and Mike's desperate attempt to have his arm constantly wrapped around my shoulders made me want to twist the boy into a pretzel. Even Lauren's fake smile was just asking for a beating.

"Surprised to see _you_ here," She said with a sneer.

"So am I." I muttered, placing my hands on my hips. I tossed some loose hair over my shoulder just to spite her. (She'd recently done a Brittany Spears rendition due to a fake modeling agent. I still laughed every time I saw her.) Her eyes narrowed.

"Well, anyway. Have you met that boy yet?" She, like everyone else at school, knew that Edward and I had once been together. "_Edward_, or something? You know, Alice's brother?" I cringed, and she smirked. "I heard he just came back from some internship or whatever in Phoenix. Pretty nice eye candy isn't he?" I decided that it would be in both her and my best interest if I didn't respond. (Her head would be completely shaven soon if I said anything.) "Too bad he choose to dump you, huh?" She winked sadistically.

"For the record, I broke up with him. Or did you and your stupidity not get the memo?" I didn't even bother to wait for her response, instead pushing past her roughly on my way to the front door.

I found Rose in the corner yucking it up with Emmett and waved, telling her that I was leaving.

"Uh-huh." She said before returning to her boyfriend. Emmett pulled back for a moment and offered a greeting to me, making me smile.

I pulled the door closed behind me, glad to be away from the party.

After my elongated sigh, I found that it was a lot quieter outdoors than it had been inside the Stanley house.

My sandals slapped against the asphalt of the deserted road as I crossed over to the other side, aiming to walk on the sidewalk, opposite the noise that drifted from the house until it engulfed me again.

The sound of my footfalls echoed off of the shrubbery of the pristine housing development, making me feel out of place, having been used a lower middle class home. (My mother had recently taken two jobs, whereas I could barely hold down the one I had.) I sighed as I gazed up at the large house I was currently passing by. Out of sheer boredom, I came up with my own scenario for the family I did not know.

Mrs. Smith probably stayed home all day playing the desperate-stay-at-home-housewife, cleaned all day while she watched her soap operas, feed her kids Sally and Johnny as soon as they got home, practically did their homework for them, cooked the entire dinner and cleaned up immediately afterwards, only to have to repeat the entire process again the next day.

Mr. Smith on the other hand would leave at five in the morning for a half hour drive to work in a suit, sit on his butt at a computer all day, go to a few corporate meetings, get home at six in the evening and expect dinner to be on the table. He'd probably pick up his plate and retreat to his office, too high and mighty to lower himself off his pedestal to eat with his wife and children who rarely saw him. Mr. Smith would feel that Mrs. Smith didn't care for him as much as she should have, and he would then be stupid enough to jeopardize his marriage by picking up a mistress.

Or maybe Mr. and Mrs. Smith were both trained assassins with orders to kill one another. Now _that _would be one heck of an awkward family dinner. ("You still alive honey?" "…Ow.")

Another set of footsteps in addition to mine made me stop in my tracks. A scream began to well up inside my throat. Slowly I began to reach for my pocket, patting my waist in search of my mace. Then I remembered that I was in a skirt.

Why was it that even time I needed my pepper spray, I was never wearing anything with pockets? Honestly.

I quickly went over my options for defense. I could kick their instep, making them fall, but what if they grabbed me then? Maybe I could give 'em an uppercut to the face, but that might only make them angrier.

Or I could just kick 'em in the groin and run for all I was worth.

I was preparing for the later when someone grabbed my shoulder, forcing me to whirl around in freight. They'd had already took a cautionary step back, as if they knew that I was going to try the hit him where it hurts. I dropped my fists, my knees weak with the shock.

"_Jake!_" I hissed at him, waiting for my heart rate to slow before I continued. "What are you doing?"

At nearly six feet, Jacob Black was a force to be reckoned with as he loomed over me. He smiled widely in boyish sixteen-year-old way. He raised his arm, displaying a plastic bag with a small box or two in it.

"Hey Bells." He said, using his old nickname for me. "Needed a part for the Rabbit's engine, and the auto shop down on the reservation didn't have it, so I had to walk into town to get it."

"Oh," I breathed, my heart still pounding in my chest. "That's great and all, but what are you doing here?" He blinked down at me, looking at me as if I was slow in the head.

"Getting a car part for the Rabbit because the shop in La Push didn't have it." He smirked. "I just said that. Did you not hear me?" He cocked his head to the side, still smiling.

I closed my eyes in relief, smiling slightly. "Sorry, the blood must have been pounding too hard in my ears to hear you right." I opened my eyes and noticed that his shoulders were shaking in silent laughter. He waited for a moment until he spoke again. (I was waiting for him to say, "Can you hear me… now?")

"Anyways, I got word that there was a party down here, and I figured you might be there, and because you never come down to the rez anymore…" He trailed off, mumbled incoherently. I crossed my arms indignantly, trying to hide my shame.

"I know, I've just been busy. You know, with finals and all." I offered as my excuse, not wanting to admit the fact that I had actually just been holed up in my home, willing myself not to cry over my father so that I could take care of my mother.

He saw straight through my façade although he quickly dismissed it when he took in my grimace. Our fathers had been like brothers, and now, Billy Black had no one to fish or watch sports games with. Of course, Jacob knew all about what had happened this time last year, and shook his head in an all knowing way.

"Oh yeah, guess that's probably true." He murmured. The schools down in La Push had gotten out about two weeks ago, so he understood my finals dilemma. He smiled lightly, taking a few steps closer to me. Jacob reached out slowly, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. I myself smirked, leaning into him slightly. (What? It was pretty cool for an early summer night, and Jake is always really warm…)

We chatted animatedly for a while, me laughing when I truly found something funny, and him snickering to himself whenever I almost tripped and fell on my face.

"Geez Bella, are you tipsy or something?" Jacob asked, his voice laced with concern. I glared at him, kinda wanting to punch him in the arm almost playfully.

"No." I muttered back to him, glaring at the ground. His arm tightened around my shoulders as we came up the bend toward my house. The plastic bag he had was bouncing against his knee, the small boxes in it making gentle noises when they collided. "I'm just…"

He rubbed his hand against my right shoulder, the friction creating a warmth that was slightly comforting. His tanned brow furrowed, his dark eyebrows almost coming together. When he saw the hurt expression on my face, his eyes darkened, and his arm held me tighter against him.

"What happened Bella? Did someone hurt you?" We stopped, and gently grabbed both of my arms, turning me so that I was facing only him. I blanched. "Tell me who they are, and I'll make sure that they never mess with you or anyone else ever again."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. His eyes grew even darker.

"Bella, I'm serious. I can have Quil and Embry-"

"Oh leave them out of this." I said, cutting him off. "They have nothing to do with this, and _no_, no one hurt me." His face flushed in embarrassment, his normally russet skin turning extremely pale. I bit my lip and mumbled, "Well, not_ tonight _at least…"

Jake looked down and, realizing that he was still holding my arms in his death grip, he quickly let go of me.

"Bella-"

"Jake," I said, cutting him off. His dark eyes narrowed slightly. "Can we not discuss this right here and right now? I'm _really_ not in the mood." After a few moments of utter silence –save for my breathing and his jaw clenching once or twice- he let out a frustrated sigh and shook his head, taking a few long strides away from me.

When he bent over to tie his shoe, I pounced, landing on his back.

"Ack, Bells! Get off!" He shouted, his previous anger melting into laughter.

"Never!" I yelled back at him, wrapping my arms around his neck. "Onward dog!" He hooked his elbows under my knees to keep me from falling, but his laughter made shake, causing me to slip a bit.

"You've been listening to many of the La Push legends Bella. Don't let them get to your head." He replied jokingly, being to walk in the direction of my house.

"That aside, come on Wolf Boy, home's about two and a half block away. Two miles, give or take. Let's see if we beat our old record." I said, pointing forward with one of my hands, my chin resting on his shoulder, right next to his ear. He seemed to contemplate this for a moment.

"Hmm, what was our old record? Nine minutes, forty-three seconds?" He asked, already being to quicken his pace.

"Give or take." I said.

"Alright, but what's in this for me?" He asked, turning his head slightly so that our noses nearly touch. I bit my lip.

"Um, well, we have a pack of Oreos at home-"

"-And I love Oreos."

"-And we also have Gold Fish." I finished, smiling. He nodded, smiling as well.

"The snack that smiles back!" We yelled together, beginning to laugh.

And then we were off, me laughing, and Jake howling like the werewolves in his legends.

With Jacob Black, Oreos, Gold Fish, and our extensive collection Adam Sandler DVD's, (and me making his watch the two Miss Congeniality movies my mom owned), this was going to be one heck of a party.

Besides, Jacob Black _was_ my best friend, and we'd grown up together. Sure our parents had jokingly implied that they couldn't wait to be in-laws, but that hadn't meant anything.

…Did it?

Still, as I sat with my almost brother, watching Billy Madison repeat fourth grade, I wondered. What if Jake and I were a couple? What would it be like? Of course, our friendship would be jeopardized and it would be extremely awkward if we broke up, but what if we didn't break up?

I turned to look at his side profile. He smiled as he chuckled at one of the comments onscreen, and his eyes squinted a bit when he laughed, his russet skin tone crinkling a very small bit. His dark eyes seemed to sparkle with the reflection of the TV. He noticed me staring at him, and looked over at me, looking slightly concerned.

"Hey Bella, is something bothering you?" One of his eyebrows rose slightly. I blinked, trying not to blush.

"Um, no. Nothing. Nothing at all."

But the swarm of butterflies was back in full blast.

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

**A/N: And finally, after about two months, you have Chapter Five.  
**If I apologized for the delay, it would be like listening to a broken record.  
There you go; Reason No. 1 Bella hates Edward. She was in the hospital for roughly three weeks after the attack on her and her father and Edward didn't visit her once.  
Reason No. 2 has a greater impact on the two, and will be revealed, um, later.  
I hope you noticed the implied BellaXJacob pairing. (I'm all for Bella and Edward, but I believe that Jake and her do make somewhat of a cute couple.)  
Do me a favor though, don't give up on this story or Edward Cullen just yet. Why? Oh, you'll see. Trust me. (Of course, I'll probably forget why I asked you to trust me in the first place.)  
.:Kate


	6. Give, Take, and Take Again

_Summary:  
/All human/I gawked at the boy walking through the door. The girls swooned at the sight of him. I froze. It couldn't be him. He turned, his eyes met mine. It was. And he was headed right for me. Him. I hate Edward Cullen. /I hate everything about you./_

**A/N: I AM NOT DEAD! But, I really need to work on my updating skills.  
**So, after a five month hiatus, I am back.  
This chapter took a while for me to put it up, mostly because I had a lack of inspiration to work it, and because I wasn't sure what exactly to put in this chapter. My updates aren't very rapid or anything, but…  
I've also realized that most of this chapter is a flashback, pretty much showing what happened in the past between Edward and Bella, and how they all became friends.  
Anyway, I can't think of much to say, and I'm pretty sure that a lot of people skip over the A/N's, so I'll just cut it short here.

'_Born Like This_' by **Three Days Grace**

_You try your best to mock me  
You're always in my way  
You've lost what you've been given  
You'll get it back today_

_The time is right to change this  
To make the life we know  
They took what we were given  
We want it back again_

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

_Ch. 6: Give, Take, and Take Again_

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

Jacob snored lightly from where he was sprawled out on the couch, his russet face buried in the faded pillows. I brought my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around them, resting my chin on my knees as I watched my brother-like friend sleep. I made up stupid equations in my head as he let out a gargled snore, burying his head further into the pillows.

_Jacob plus me equals awkward relationship._

_Me minus Jacob equals depression over losing a childhood friend._

_Jacob plus me minus Edward minus depression plus use of lost kidney equals rather strange and insane situation that had no real relevance._

I shook my head, closing my eyes. I was giving myself a headache. Whatever I had just been trying to figure out obviously had no logical solution, so why bother? Just because I had Jacob and his family didn't mean I had a family of my own. Even if Jacob and I were together, would I ever be truly happy?

No.

If I was with Jacob – no offense to him in anyway- he would be a replacement for what I wanted, what I needed. The one thing I now wanted more than anything in the world at this exact moment. Something I wouldn't be able to live without for the rest of my life.

I wanted Edward.

Of course, that also sounded pathetic, because hadn't I just told him to never come near me last night?

I slumped against the recliner as I had the day before. Had I been so stupid as to tell off the only non-related person I'd probably ever love? Was I so twisted as to tell him I hated his guts?

I truly wanted to cry at the moment. To break into uncontrollable angry tears that would wash away the agony and pain acquired by being in love with the boy I still hated until I was numb and unfeeling. Was I even truly human; being able to cause and inflict such horrible heartache and misery on the man who only wanted to apologize for his mistakes? I stiffened, now full of determination and fury.

No. He was the one who hurt _me_, almost more so than the other man had. Edward hadn't even set foot near the hospital I had been condemned to in all the three weeks I resided there. Would it have been so hard to drop by for even five minutes at the latest, or even settling for a quick phone call just to say hello and how are you doing? I would even have discussed the dismal weather if that were what it would have taken to get him to speak to me.

And then my return to social life! Everyone else had flocked around me, telling me which flowers and cards they sent, asking me how I was doing, and that they were sorry about my father. I'd been more of an unnoticed wallflower before, and suddenly after being shot I was everyone's best friend! I was invited to all the summer parties, included in plans, opinion being asked, even being called late at night with boyfriend issues!

I was sucked into a world I wanted no part of, and hadn't even appreciated the crowd before I was accepted into it. The Cullens and Hales had been good friends of mine before hand, and were always my back-up when I didn't want to journey to someone's parents' summer home, or attend whichever party was being thrown.

I grew up with Alice and her brothers by my side along with Jacob and his sisters, growing up as friends, watching one another change and mature. Jacob and I had made mud-pies together, Edward and Emmett burying themselves in mud to see who could get the dirtiest, Alice watching over all of us like a mother hen, later being brought into the fray by the four of us. Rachel and Rebecca, being older than us, lingered on the sidelines, treating injuries and often joining us.

The three Black children never talked about their mother Sarah much, Rachel refusing to do so, Rebecca barely offering much about her, and Jacob fairly clueless, being fairly young when she had passed.

We were quiet for months on end following her funeral, not quite as loud and obnoxious as we had once been before. I remembered watching Rachel fold in on herself, a mask to society as she silently grieved for her mother. Rebecca had told her little brother and us all about her mother, how beautiful she though she was, things she used to tell them, how amazing her cooking was, and how Billy was normally kept away from the kitchen because he lacked the proper tools of the trade for culinary skills.

I remembered how Jacob would look up at his sister with wide childish eyes eagerly filled with curiosity. Now that his mother was gone his sisters had taken her place, and the rest of us were always there for back-up.

The Hale twins moved to town with their parents a few months later, not far from where I now lived. The empty moving truck had just pulled away when the Cullen children and I were walking up, the two identical siblings standing on the front stoop to their new home as we started up the walk, voices of what we assumed to be their parents drifting to the outdoor air. I noticed how the girl has immediately grabbed her brother's hand, pulling him behind her in a defensive manner.

His eyes were a gray color, his expression hinted that he was much more of the philosopher in the duo, preferring to read and actually think and discuss things rather than the arrogant and disproving vibe I received from his sister. She put her small hands on her thin hips, her eyes narrowing defensively as we approached them on the walkway.

"Who are you?" She snapped in all of her seven-year-old glory. This caused us to backpedal, not expecting her to bark at us. Alice cringed, not sure of how to react. Emmett and Edward flanked us girls while Jacob stood to my side, the five-year-old grabbing my head in fear. The boy standing behind his sister poked around her, taking her arm.

"Be nice Rosie. I don't think they're gonna hurt us." The blonde girl glared at the boy, pulling away from him.

"Fine. But I'm telling mom." She said, turning on her heel and pushing her way into the fairly sizable house. The boy watched his sister walk away and sighed, shaking his head.

"Sorry about her." He said, sounding much more mature than he was for his age. He smiled the clump of us, still unsure of what to think of his sister. He leapt off the stoop, coming toward us to introduce himself. He extended his hand formally, still smiling. "Hi, I'm Jasper."

"Alice." The little girl shouted abruptly, clutching his hand and shaking his entire body. "I'm sure we're gonna be best friends!" Jasper nodded uncertainly, taking Edward's hand, who merely said his name and nodded before Jasper went to shake hands with Emmett.

"I'm Emmett. You hurt my sister or my friends, I hurt you." Emmett said. Though he was barely older and taller than the rest of us he'd still decided that he was the toughest, and as so it was his duty to defend us.

"Um, good to know." Jasper replied, obviously not sure what to think or how to respond. He turned over to Jacob, looking down at the wide-eyed little boy. "Hello."

Jacob stared at Jasper's extended hand as if it were diseased, refusing to touch it. He shifted his gaze from the hand to its owner, staring blankly at him. Jasper's brow furrowed and he withdrew his hand, choosing to then wave as a form of greeting.

"He doesn't talk to a lot of people." I said, giving Jacob's hand a reassuring squeeze as I explained. "Jake's kinda shy."

Jasper nodded at this, smiling wryly at the young Indian boy. He looked back at me, as if expecting me to say my name.

"I'm Bella," I offered, reaching out with my hand until he grasped it, shaking it.

"Well hello Bella," He said, smiling sincerely. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Edward clench his hands into fists, almost glaring at the new boy with jealously. I hadn't truly understood it at the time. "It's nice to meet all of you."

"You too." I said, taking my hand back.

The following week we all began second grade, Jasper's sister eventually introducing herself as Rosalie, assimilating into our renegade band of friends. At first she was slightly cold and defensive, later showing her fun and humorous side at Edward's birthday party at the end of the year, joking that as it was his birthday I was subjected to giving him a birthday kiss. It was a simple peck on the cheek, but it took a good hour for our faces to go from beet red to our normal pale features.

The rest of elementary school passed by without much event, only birthday parties and slumber parties –many of which the boys had to be banned form.

As I grew closer to the Hales and Cullens I had the guilty feeling of pushing Jake out of my life, desperately wishing that he could be included in some of our events, only to start hanging out with the other kids at the reservation such as Embry and Quil, along with an older boy named Sam and his friend Jared. There were two other girls named Emily and Leah, but I was never sure if I was jealous about them being around Jacob so much or not. Then again, Emily was nearly three years or so older than him, so I didn't have much to worry about there. Leah was another story…

Jasper Hale became my best friend and confidante on the days I couldn't see Jacob and Edward was just too Edward. We both liked a lot of the same books starting middle school, having many of our classes together.

Jasper Hale was also my first crush, something Edward didn't seem too happy about.

But I honestly didn't care.

By either a cruel twist of fate, or a stroke of luck, Jasper Hale also became my first kiss.

Alice had decided that in late July before we started high school we were going to have a huge slumber party, in which the boys would be included. After watching a few movies on their new TV three times the size of my head and pulling any and all food out of the cupboards and finding a stash of highly caffeinated soda Alice pulled all of the pillows and blankets onto the floor, ordering us all the form a circle. We'd been reluctant at first but she put her foot down, making us all plop down on the floor quickly.

She'd chosen the dread game of Truth or Dare, initiating it by asking Rosalie the truth about her hair color. Having proven that it was truly blonde she turned to me, asking if I wanted Truth or Dare.

In all honest I probably should have gone without the dare, as I would much rather have put a plunger on my head or sing about foods like Emmett had, but I just couldn't go with Truth.

I couldn't tell them how I had a crush on Jasper, that I secretly collected Beanie Babies and had them stuffed in my closet, or even how I a Clay Aiken poster until I tore it down because I couldn't stand it anymore and I'd only liked the one song Alice had played by him at my birthday.

The truth has never been my friend.

"Isabella Marie Swan," Rosalie began, looking at my mischievously, causing me to shift uncomfortably. "I dare you…" She drew it out, attempting to create suspense. I was waiting for my heart to burst from beating so hard that I barely even heard what she said. By the time it registered I had nearly keeled over.

"To kiss Jasper."

I swear I felt the world stop. Granted, I did have a crush on Jasper at the time, but really, his sister? Did she _have _to do that? And what about our friends? It would have been bad enough for me to confess it to Jasper in private, but here? With everyone watching? But I had to do it. It was a dare after all, and my pride was at stake.

I got on my knees and leaned forward awkwardly, never having kissed a boy before. _This is for you Clay. _I muttered in my head, leaning toward Jasper, who in turn glared at his sister, making me feel that he honestly did not want to do this.

But that was fine. If he didn't want to then I wasn't going to. I didn't need him! So what if I was slightly insulted! Pfft!

Rosalie was going to seriously maim me if I didn't though, I knew that much.

With slight reluctance now I continued to lean toward him.

"Um," I began; my face now inches from his. "So…"

"Yeah…" He replied, now looking at me and not his sister, ignoring the daggers glared at him by someone else in the room.

"Oh my god, it's not a tea party!" Alice said, throwing her hands up in the air; Rosalie rolling her eyes. "Just kiss him and get it over with."

And so I did.

My lips gently brushed his as I squeezed my eyes shut, neither of us looking at one another. I won't lie and say I hated it, as it was honestly one of the greatest things I'd ever experienced. I pulled away quickly, averting my gaze and wishing my face didn't feel so hot. My lips tingled, and I tried to maintain my dignity, forfeiting my turn and completely ignoring the rest of the game. I tried not to notice how Jasper would glance over at me often, his face slightly pink.

"So Edward, you say truth…" Emmett mused, rubbing his chin with his hand thoughtfully. "Hmmm… Let me see…" Edward looked up at the ceiling in annoyance, folding his arms while he waited for his brother to speak. A light bulb seemed to flash in Emmett's mind. "Aha! When Bella kissed Jasper, did that bother you?"

The entire room fell so silent you could hear our hearts beat. All eyes turned to Edward, who gaped at us, clearly debating the best reply. I bit my lip, not sure what I wanted him to say at the time.

"Of course not!" He yelled, then bringing down his tone to avoid waking his parents. "I don't care who she kisses, it's only Bella! She's my best friend! She can kiss whoever she wants to! I don't want to kiss her! I never have and I never will!" There was still more so silence following this outburst. I was the first to break it.

"You don't care?" I whispered, my voice wavering. '_It's only Bella!'_

Edward blinked at me. "What?"

"It's just Bella, it doesn't matter." My eyes narrowed at him. "She can go get hit by a bus, but as long as she doesn't die, I don't care. Maybe I _will _kiss Jasper again!" Jasper raised an eyebrow, surprised at suddenly being brought into this conversation. '_I don't want to kiss her! I never have and I never will!'_

"Well…" Edward was shaking his head, obviously not knowing what to say. "I-I didn't mean it like that. I mean, if you did get hit by a bus-"

I glared at him.

"No, let me re-phrase that." He said defensively, the other looking back and forth between us as we bantered.

"You don't have to. Just forget it. I don't care." I said, suddenly defensive, still hearing '_It's only Bella!' _and '_I don't want to kiss her! I never have and never will!' _still ringing in my ears. "Let's just do something else for a while."

There was quiet murmuring as we disbanded for bed, me making sure that I was as far away from Edward as possible. He tried apologizing numerous times as a movie was turned on half an hour later because no could sleep, but I merely brushed him off. He didn't care, so what?

I eventually forgave him a short while after school started, but still felt hurt at what he'd said. We slowly became best friends again, yet it was different because of the night that I'd kissed Jasper Hale on a dare.

Jasper was the one that asked me if I wanted to go to the dance. Our friends didn't seem all that bothered by it. (Later we both agreed that it had just been a bit too weird for the both of us, and that it would be more comfortable if we were just friends.) Emmett had asked Rosalie to the homecoming dance that year, and the two have been a couple ever since. I'd gone with Jasper that year, and Alice and Edward awkwardly standing on the sidelines, Edward chivalrously agreeing to dance with his sister every few songs.

Half way through sophomore year Edward and I became even better friends and he slowly became the one that I would always turn to. It was during mid-terms actually, and I had been busy studying when he'd called and asked if I was free. I blatantly told him no, but he was free to come study if he felt the need to.

That was the first time I'd kissed him. Not to be mean, but it was hundred times better than the time I'd kissed Jasper. (Again, it was actually pecks on the cheek I ever gave him after the dare. It was too weird otherwise. I'd never actually been all that happy in a relationship with Jasper. Edward was the only one I could truly see myself with.)

There was no actual tension, and I wasn't at all clumsy or afraid when he kissed me. He'll always say that he was the one who initiated it, but I always thought that we just so happened to lean forward at the same time.

He quickly apologized, as if uncertain of what I was going to do. I shook my head and smiled reassuringly, telling him it was fine before I kissed him again. Needless to say I hadn't gotten much studying done that afternoon.

We were given a week off for February break, and I was invited by Alice to join her and the others at a party they were going to attend, despite the fact that the host hadn't said they wanted me there.

Edward and I had never actually told anyone about that fact that we'd kissed, deciding to keep it low key to see if anything would happen. At lunch he would begin to place him arm over my shoulders, always catching himself and dropping his arm with a sigh.

I guess someone could say at the party was the first time we'd ever gone public, openly showing the fact that we were a couple by holding one another's hands and dancing to a few songs. I had a feeling that the fact that I kissed him made it all the more obvious.

We were together for quite a while, and I remember feeling like I was on Cloud 9 the entire time.

The feeling only increased when he told me he loved me.

I replied feeling the same way, living in pure bliss until Charlie flew down to Phoenix to check on my grandmother, initially leaving me in Forks with Renee. But I protested, and eventually I was able to go down to see the two, my mother being trapped in Forks at the hospital, unable to catch a break and go down to visit her mother.

That's when all hell broke loose and the one time I needed Edward the most he wasn't there.

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

**A/N: Okay, was that a long flashback or what?  
**Reading over this I noticed how Edward's character seemed to fluctuate, going from being weird young jealous boy to weird boyfriend teenage guy. But whatever. He gets better when he's not in flashback mode.  
And I'm sure that the hospital staff would be more lenient and let Renee go visit her ill mother, but this works out better for the sake of this story. (Actually, after having checked the beginning of _New Moon_I found that Gran died when Bella was eleven. I'm sure I'll go back and edit this later, fixing the story to something else. Until then, this is what it is.)  
Kind of beside the point though, but here's Chapter Six for you finally.  
I'm trying to get back into the writing fanfic mode, but it's not as easy as I originally thought it would be.  
Thanks for reading though, and feel free to comment!  
.:Kate


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